Means for varying the fuel supply to internal combustion engines



- J. H. s. GARDNER ET AL 53,921

April 11, 1939 MEANS FOR VARYING THE FUEL SUPPLY TO INTERNAL COMBUSTIONENGINES 2 Shets-Sheet 1 IIIII'IIIIIIIII Filed Dec. 15, I957 April 11,1939. J. H. s. GARDNER ET AL 2,153,921

MEANS FOR VARYING THE FUEL SUPPLY TO INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES FiledDec. 15, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 g vf/K yaw/var N vau Patented Apr. ,11,1939 UNITED STATES MEANS FOR VARYING THE FUEL SUPPLY 'ro INTERNALcoMBUs'rIoN ENGINES Joseph Hugh Stott Gardner and John Kynaston Gardner,Patricroft,

near Manchester, England, assignors to L. Gardner & Sons Limited,Patricroft, near Manchester, England, a British company ApplicationDecember 15, 1937, sen-mm. 175,986 In Great Britain January 1, 1937 4Claims.

This invention relates to internal combustion oil engines of thecompression ignition or pump injection type and has for its object toprovide simple and effective means for varying the fuel charges of theengine in order to adapt the latter to suit varying altitude conditionsand consequent variations in the weight of air passed into the enginecylinders or to vary the. maximum power output of the engine.

The invention comprises the provision of adjustable means to limit theextent to which a governor controlled member can move in a direction toincrease the fuel charges, such means being capable of displacement topermit the governor controlled member to move to a maximum extent togive maximum fuel injections to start the engine, the displaced memberreturning automatically when the engine commences to run normally, tothe position in which it acts to limit the maximum fuel injections undergovernor control. The adjustment of the said adjustable means may beeffected automatically by means dependent upon-atmospheric pressureconditions.

Referring to the accompanying explanatorydrawings:

Figure 1 is a general view illustrating the application of ourinvention.

Figure 2 is a front view drawn to a larger scale than Figure 1 showingthe control unit.

Figure 3 is a plan yiew of Figure 1 with a part in section on the line33 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a sectional end view on the line 4-4 of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a sectional view on the-line 5-5 of 35 Figure 3.

The same reference letters in the diiierent views indicate the sameparts.

In Figure 1, there is shown a fuel pump comprising four cylinders withthe pistons therein 40 operated from four cams a, b, c, d upon a shaft erotated from the crankshaft of the engine to which fuel is supplied bythe four fuel delivery pipes f, g, h and i, one pipe delivering to acylinder of the engine. The amount of fuel delivered 45 by each pumpcylinder at each delivery stroke is controlled in the known manner bymoving longitudinally a rack a which engages pinions k, l, m and n whichturn the pump pistons. The rack a is connected by a link 0 to a lever 12which is 50 turned to press the rack 7' to the left in Figure 1, by thegovernor q acting through the strut r. The return movement of the rack7' is effected by the spring 8, see Figure 3, which is anchored to thearm t projecting from one side of the rack 55 :i. It will be noted thatwhilst the member 11.

forces the strut 1' against the-lever p to turn the latter about itsfulcrum point 11 the lever need not follow up the movement of thegovernor member 1!. when the governor speed is falling, due to the factthat the strut r is not secured to the member a and to the fact of thepin and slot or lost motion connection between the strut r and the leverp. e

The rack a has a part or-lug v projecting from the side thereof oppositeto the arm t and this part c is adapted to engage under the pull of thespring s with a catch w pivoted about a crank pin a: on a spindle 1/which has a pointer 2 at its forward end adapted to be moved over ascale 6 and locked by the nut 'l at any position on the scale. The catch11; has a pin 8 projecting to one side thereof which can be engaged by aspring loaded plunger 9 when this is pressed upwards by hand. When sopressed upwards, the catch 20 is raised clear of the projecting lug '0on the rack 7' and the spring s then moves the rack j to the right inthe figures to the full extent allowed by the pin and slot connectionbetween the lever 21 and strut r.

It will be appreciated that when the engine is under a heavy load oroverload, the governor speed falls and the part u moves to the left inFigure 1. If the lever 1) does not through the strut r and underpressure of the spring s follow up the movements of the part u, then thequantity of fuel injected into the engine cylinders will not beincreased to correspond to the increase in engine load and a change ofgear between the engine and load will have to be made. The'turning ofthe spindle y with the crank pin a: thereon determines the extent towhich the rack a can move to the right in the figures because itdetermines the degree of projection of the catch w. Therefore by turningthe spindle y by the indiator finger z thereon, the maximum quantity offuel injection can be predetermined and therefore, for a constantatmospheric pressure, the maximum horsepower developed by the engine. Ifthe atmospheric pressure varies due to change in altitude at which theengine is operating, then the maximum quantity of fuel injected at eachpower stroke of the engine can be determined by turning the indicatorfinger z appropriately to suit the air density. The dials 6 may have twoclasses of indications thereon, one percentages of full power, that isat constant atmospheric pressure, and altitude in feet x 1000 that is tomaintain a constant full power output.

Whatever be the position of the crank pin a: about which the catch wfulcrums, the latter can always be displaced and moved clear of the lugv on the rack j by forcing the plunger 8 upwards. This displacement ofthe catch w, allows the rack to move to the right to the full extentallowed by the lever p, strut r and governor member u. The plunger 8 isoperated only when starting the engine and serves, by displacing thecatch 10 to give maximum fuel injections at starting, which ensure easystarting. When the plunger 0 is released, it moves downwards clear ofthe pin I on the catch 10. After the engine has started and itsrevolutions begin to build up, the governor moves the strut r and leverp which cause the rack to move to the left in the figures in order toreduce the quantity of the fuel injections. when the leftward movementof the rack has gone and!- ciently to cause the lug to move beneath thecatch w, the latter falls into place with its end engaging the lug andso limiting to an extent determined by the position of the pin 2:, themaximum quantity of fuel injection.

It will be seen that our improvement not only provides for maximum fuelinjections for engine starting purposes but for the adjustment of thequantity of fuel injections to limit the maximum horsepower developed toany desired percentage of full power or to suit the atmosphericpressure.

as determined by the altitude at which the engine is working.

Instead of mounting the catch w on an eccentric or crank pin, it may beupon a slide or arm which is adjusted to vary the degree of projectionof the catch exactly as does the eccentric pin.

Our prior Patent No. 1,925,184 dated September 5, 1933, describes meansfor increasing the fuel charges at starting beyond the quantity normallyallowed by the engine governor.

We claim:

1. Means for controlling thefuel charges of internal combustion oilengines of the compression ignition type, comprising in combination fuelcharge injection pumps, means to vary the quantity of fuel injected bysaid pumps, an engine speed governor, a member moved thereby arrangedoperatively to engage said quantity varying means during its movement inthe direction corresponding to increase of engine speed and not duringits movement in the other direction, resilient means acting upon saidquantity varying means in opposition to said member, a stop to limitmovement of said quantity varying means under the action of saidresilient means, means to adjust said stop in position and to vary theextent to which said quantity varying means can follow up the movementsof said governor, manually actuable means independent of saidstopposition-adjusting-means to move said stop from the path of saidquantity varying means, the stop returning automatically to its originalposition when released by said manually actuated means and whenpermitted by movement of said quantity varying means by said governor.

2. The combination claimed in claim 1, in which the stop comprises acatch and a pivot about which said catch is pivoted, the stop positionadjusting means comprises means to vary the position of said pivot andthe stop moving means comprises means to swing said catch'about saidpivot.

3. The combination claimed in claim 1, in which the stop comprises acatch and a pin excentrically disposed in a rotatably adjustable memberabout which pin the catch is pivoted, and the stop moving means comprisemeans to swing said catch about said pin against the action of gravity.

4 The combination claimed in claim 1, in which the stop comprises acatch and a pin excentrically disposed in a rotatably adjustable memberabout which pin the catch is pivoted, and the stop moving means comprisemeans to swing said catch about said pin against the action of gravity,together with means to indicate the circular setting of said rotatablyadjustable member.

JOSEPH HUGH STOTI' GARDNER.

JOHN KYNASTON GARDNER.

